What Is Trench Foot, and How Can It Be Prevented?

Trench foot or immersion foot syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when your feet are exposed to cold water for long periods. It can also be termed as a type of non-freezing cold injury that affects the skin tissue. It's important to note that excessively sweaty feet, also called hyperhidrosis, can also cause this condition.

When your feet are wet or you stand in cold water for long, the capillaries, i.e., the small blood vessels in the feet, start to weaken and lead to tissue damage. Restricted blood flow, meanwhile, affects the body’s nerve function and blood circulation and causes severe health issues too.

A trench foot can lead to severe pain, swelling, and sensory damage to the feet. It can cause damage to the muscles, skin, blood vessels, and nerves as well. Fortunately, mild cases of this condition can be easily treated at home, but, if left untreated, it can lead to gangrene or require amputation.

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Stages of trench foot

Cases of trench foot can be categorized into four major stages, including:

Stage 1: Injury stage

At this stage, the foot tissue is numb and cold, and there's very mild or no pain. The limb becomes white or red.

Stage 2: Immediate post-injury

Cases of trench foot has four stages (Photo via Instagram/heinirave)

At this stage, there might be mild swelling, and the limb turns from white to blue. Odors of decay and swelling can occur as well.

Stage 3: Hyperaemic phase

At this stage, the limb turns red, and the skin becomes excessively dry. There's pain and the sensation of pins and needles. Blisters and sores may also develop in severe cases, which increases the risk of bacterial and fungal infections.

Stage 4: Post-hyperaemic stage

At this stage, persistent nerve and tissue damage arises, and patients might experience long-term sensitivity to colds, pain, and, pins and needles.

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Trench foot symptoms

Major symptoms that you might see include:

• redness
• blisters and sores
• blotchy skin
• dead skin tissues

Other than these symptoms, you can also experience certain sensations in your feet. These include numbness, coldness, prickliness, heaviness, excessive itching, and tingling. While the aforementioned symptoms may only affect one portion of the foot, in serious cases, they can extend all over the feet and toes.

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Trench foot treatment

People with trench feet should immediately consult a healthcare provider to get their feet examined. A proper examination by a doctor can help determine what stage the condition has reached.

The healthcare provider will conduct a physical exam and look at tissue loss and injuries to determine the severity of circulation loss. Additionally, they might also test the nerve function to identify if the patient can feel the pressure points in the foot.

A trench foot can be treated with simple ways:

Rest

First of all, you need to take proper rest, and keep your foot elevated to promote blood circulation. Doing that will also prevent the formation of new wounds and blisters.

Medications

Medications can help. (Photo via Pexels/Tima Miroshnichenko)

Your doctor might prescribe certain medications such as Ibuprofen to help reduce swelling, foot cramps, and pain.

Home remedies

Early symptoms of trench foot can be easily treated with certain home remedies. Here’s what to do if you start having this condition:

• take off your footwear and socks
• clean the area with water
• dry your feet
• use heat packs on the affected area for a few minutes

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While the aforementioned treatment options are effective and safe, if you do not see any improvements, consult your doctor immediately to avoid further complications.

It's also important to remember that trench feet are preventable, and there are preventive measures that can help reduce risk of developing the condition. These include not wearing wet socks and changing out of wet shoes and boots, keeping the feet elevated, letting the feet air dry, changing into a fresh and clean pair of socks every day, and wearing good quality shoes, especially when working out.